Real Time
by Leslie Emm
Summary: A simple case turns into something so much more. It could cost one their job and another their sanity. Appearances from the usuals - Mac, Lindsay, Danny, Flack and a couple of O/C's thrown in. Have rated M as the plot can get a bit rough at times. Have put in Crime/Drama genre but there's a bit of everything in there.
1. Prologue

**Trade off**

Prologue

"Fairburn!" Alan Betterson, the New York DA breezed through the office.

"Yessir?" Georgia Fairburn, newly appointed Assistant to the District Attorney stood at her desk as he briefly stopped in front of her.

"Your first case trying a felony this afternoon?" he asked her impatiently, everything about the man was impatient she figured.

"Yes sir" she answered, like she wasn't nervous enough "Felony burglary"

"The arresting officer is the son of one of my dearest friends, it's his first court appearance" he told her "Donnie Flack, he's a good kid just a little" he paused a moment "enthusiastic, don't screw it up Fairburn, and don't let him screw it up either, I told his father I had my best first year ADA on it, I better have"

"Yes sir" she sank back into her chair as he disappeared behind the huge oak door into his own office. "No pressure then huh?"

Great, her first case, a rookie cop with an attitude by the sound of it, and now a warning to babysit him as well as not screw up herself. She wondered if she'd be back as a paralegal by morning.

…...

Officer Donald Flack Junior fiddled with his dress uniform, quite simply he was terrified, not that he'd ever let on to anyone that he was. It was his first court appearance as the arresting officer, and he knew that if this went well, fast track to detective was that little bit closer.

"Officer Flack?" He looked up at the sound of his name, pushing his hair away from his face, he stood, trademark smug smile firmly in place, looking at the woman in front of him he thought the day had dramatically improved already. She held out her hand, he shook it.

"Georgia Fairburn, ADA, I'm trying your felony burglary" she told him. Oh she could see the 'enthusiasm' all over him, she thought. He was attractive, tall and obviously worked out, and boy did he know it!

"Nice to meet you" he crooned, making aggressive eye contact.

"Likewise" she said "We just need a few moments to go over the case before we get called in" she returned the eye contact and he smiled, keeping his eyes on hers a fraction longer than necessary.

"That eye contact is good" she told him "Make sure you use it in court"

He raised his eyebrows, wow she'd seen right through him. Most women were just grateful for some attention from him, not this one evidently. It immediately made him more determined.

…...

"So, Officer Flack" Georgia stood up, trying to control the shaking in her knees, and as she'd been drilled, ignore the judge "Can you talk us through what happened the night you arrested the suspect please?"

"We got a call of burglary in progress" he began "As I pulled up to the address, I saw the suspect fleeing the scene, I pursued him"

"On foot?" she asked.

"Yes, my partner entered the house to check on the occupants" he confirmed "I followed the suspect to an alley off 34th Street" he checked his notes "I caught up to him, restrained him and cuffed him"

"Did you advise the suspect of his Miranda rights?" she followed.

"Yes, as I was cuffing him" he replied.

"Did the suspect say anything as you read him his rights?" she queried.

"Yes he said that 'He hadn't done no burglary, man' as I recall" Oh good, she thought the smug smile is back.

"What was your response?" she probed.

"That he could tell it to the judge" the grin was getting irritating.

"When you later questioned the suspect, did he admit to the burglary?"

"Yes, he said that he'd been in the area and had seen the window open and thought he'd 'take a look'" Flack replied.

"And did you find any of the missing items from the house on his person?"

"No" he said "But we found several missing items from other burglaries on him, and the items taken from this one along the route I had chased him" In the bag Flack thought.

"Thank You Officer Flack" she said "No further questions"

The defence council stood "Well officer Flack, you've been with NYPD what, two months?"

"Yes sir" he replied cautiously.

"And this was your first arrest without your partner?"

"Yes" Flack frowned "I don't see..."

"Just answer the question Officer" defence ordered.

"Are you sure you followed the proper procedure?" defence asked pointedly.

"Objection!" Georgia stood "Officer Flack has already attested to reading the suspect his rights"

"But he didn't recite those rights did he, I think the ADA has missed a vital piece of procedure here your honour" the defence council, Michael Gale grinned, God he really was a shark thought Georgia.

"I'll allow it" the judge said.

"Can you tell us just what rights you advised my client he had when you arrested him?" Gale turned back to Flack.

"His Miranda rights" his face had changed, it was set in anger.

"Word for word?" Gale pressed.

"Yes" Flack snapped.

"So you ensured that my client understood his rights?" the shark attacked "Even though he is of Hispanic descent and told you he didn't understand English well?"

"He understood me" Flack ground out, looking to the ADA for support.

"But didn't my client tell you, in broken English that he didn't?"

"He came out with some half baked Spanish..." Flack began.

"Answer the question Officer" oh no, thought Georgia, the teeth are out and we're about to lose a limb.

"He told me he didn't understand, I didn't believe him" Flack flung back.

"So you, an inexperienced officer, took it upon yourself to deny a suspect of his proper rights?"

"Objection!" Georgia had to do something.

"Yes Miss Fairburn?" the judge looked bored.

"Officer Flack's experience has no bearing here" she began "Defence are obviously clutching at straws, trying to wriggle out of the self confessed charge on a technicality. The suspect spoke to officer Flack in English when arrested and had no problem understanding, or answering my own and defence council's questions when on the stand"

"You Honor" Gale smirked at her "The ADA is obviously as inexperienced as the Officer, my client is currently learning English, I have a sworn statement of his ability to speak or understand English at the time he started these classes, two days after his arrest"

"I don't have a copy of that" Georgia protested.

"You didn't ask" Gale smiled sweetly at her, passing the clerk a piece of paper.

The silence was deafening, and seemed excruciatingly long as the judge read.

"Officer Flack you are excused" the judge looked round the court room "Mr Mendez, you are lucky, it would seem a host of procedural errors by NYPD and the DA's office have led to this. I can only say that I wish I _could_ find another verdict, but I can't, this case is dismissed and you are free to go"

"Miss Fairburn?" the judge stopped her "I don't know how this ended up in my court room, but in future please prepare yourself and your witnesses properly" The judge left the court room as she and Flack faced each other tensely.

…...

Here they were, 12 years later facing each other across the court. Things were different this time. She was the First Assistant District Attorney, with 12 years hard study and work behind her. He was a seasoned Detective 1st grade, with years of experience in court under his belt. And they were prosecuting one of the most wanted men in New York.

She did however notice that her knees still shook as she stood to begin her questions, and the smug smile of Donald Flack Junior was firmly in place still. Hair a little shorter and greyer, but the sarcastic sneer he held as a badge was still evident.


	2. Chapter 1 Bad Omen

**Trade off**

Chapter 1 – Bad Omen

Detecive Mac Taylor sat up rubbing his hand across his eyes with one hand, already retrieving his pager from it's place on his belt.

"Great" he muttered reading the transmission, looking up as Jo Danville through his office door.

"You get it?" she said handing him his kit.

"Yeah, you coming?" he replied.

"I sent Lindsay home a couple of hours ago, she's beat" she replied "We'll get coffee on the way" she added, observing Mac's heavy eyes.

They left the CSI offices together, a comfortable silence with them.

...

Mac leaned in closer to the body, the head covered in blood "Who is she?" he asked.

"No ID as yet" Detective Don Flack answered "But the paramedics found this in her hand, and I'd bet she's in the system" he handed Mac what appeared to be a small tablet, in an evidence bag.

"Why in the system?" Jo asked.

"Track marks" Flack pointed to the bruising and punctures common of drug addicts "And everyone seems to have amnesia, apparently she was here alone and no one ever met her before, in my experience that means one thing, she's been a round the block a few times, enough to get collared at any rate, and this place 'The Omen Club', that's like pimp speak for business premises"

"You think she's a pro?" Jo asked.

"Wouldn't surprise me" he replied "I'm gonna go bang my head against a brick wall a few more times" he sneered "See if I can persuade anyone to speak up"

"Good luck" Jo offered.

"Thanks, I find the gentle persuasion of a drugs search sometimes loosens people's tongues" he ducked back under the police tape, heading for the milling groups of people as yet, unable to leave the club.

"Blunt force trauma?" Jo asked Mac.

"Looks that way" Mac replied "But there are defensive wounds on her hands and she has no bag or purse, with the tablet Flack found, maybe drugs related?"

"I'll start with the outer perimeter" Jo offered.

"So you heard nothin', saw nothin' and are sayin' nothin'?" Flack was getting exasperated.

"I'm tellin' ya buddy, no one will know who she is" the man replied.

"One thing" Flack told him "I ain't your buddy, and another, you tellin' me no one knew her, or everyone's too scared of her pimp to tell me?"

The man shrugged "Whatever man"

"What's the bettin' if I turn out your pockets I'm gonna find a real good reason to take you downtown?" Flack raised his eyebrow as the man started looking uncomfortable "You reckon you'll get away with personal use? I bet you got enough on you to make the DA smile"

"You can't without a warrant" he protested.

"Oh, I can find a way" Flack insisted "Now, to save me the trouble, lets start with _your_ name, and don't get smart"

"Marty Scolm" the guy replied.

"Now we're on the same page" Flack nodded "So what you doin' here tonight Marty?"

"Appreciatin' some of New York's finest entertainment" Marty replied.

"And this entertainment goes by the name of?" Flack cocked an eyebrow, watching as Marty clammed up again "Ya know I'm gettin' sick of this, pockets!"

"Ok, OK!" Marty said "I don't know her name, but I will tell you this, she's not with no ordinary pimp, they got mob connections, and it goes way up. You hearin' me? That girl is the low end 'a the range"

"Thank you" Flack replied, sneering at Marty "I can't believe how helpful you've been"

…...

_Next Morning_

"Cause of death?" Mac asked Sid.

"And good morning to you Detective Taylor" Sid Hammerback, the New York CSI medical examiner responded with a characteristic reply.

"Sorry Sid" Mac sighed "Long night"

"Looks like it" Sid replied with a concerned frown "You sleep recently?"

"I can sleep when I'm dead" Mac replied.

"Keep going the way you are Mac, and that'll be sooner rather than later" Sid told him.

"Speaking of dead" mac nodded towards the body on the table.

"Ah yes, our young lady" Sid snapped his glasses over his eyes "Death, was blunt force trauma to the head, as you would expect, she died almost immediately, her brain was practically severed in two"

"Pretty hefty blow then" mac concluded "Flack thought she might be an addict or even a prostitute?"

"Very astute is Detective Flack, there was evidence of sexual activity, no semen but traces of spermicide" he looked at Mac over his glasses "She had a cocktail of drugs in her system, cocaine, methadone and codeine are the main ones, with a side of marijuana and aspirin"

"Could they have caused her to fall, hit her head?"

"Not really" Sid removed his glasses "She was an addict, her internal organs and the veins in her arms gave that up, the drugs were at different levels, indicating a time line. The methadone was probably taken earlier today, it wasn't present in her stomach or digestive tract, so probably more than 6 hours ago, but no longer than 8 or it wouldn't be present in her blood at all. The codeine, marijuana and aspirin were taken around an hour before she died, probably as a stop gap between the methadone wearing off and the cocaine hit she snorted around 30 minutes before she died. There was trace in the nasal and bronchial passages"

"The defensive wounds?" mac asked "Any trace?"

"I sent it up to Lindsay" he said "But other than the trace on her hands and in the wounds on her hands, nothing unusual for what you would expect when someone dies on the floor of a club, I emailed Flack her prints"

"Good job" mac commented as he left.

…...


	3. Chapter 2 To catch a mackrel

**Real Time**

Chapter 2 – To catch a Mackrel...

Jo walked into the trace lab, finding as usual, that her boss had beat her there.

"I just heard from Flack" she told him "The girls name is Sienna Hull, fingerprints gave us a rap sheet"

Mac read the paper Jo pushed across the table "Don was right" he commented "Solicitation, possession, concealed weapon, she was a prostitute"

"He's still looking for her pimp" Jo continued "But he's not holding much hope, he said that a guy at the club told him the pimp in question has mob connections and no one will talk"

"I didn't think the mob still existed" Lindsay commented.

"Not in the 1950's gangster style" Mac replied "These days they've got a finger in every pie, trafficking weapons, people and drugs. They operate in plain sight, with more connections than ever. If this girl was one of them, we're gonna have to be very careful"

"Right" Jo agreed "We came up against this a lot in the FBI, the higher tiers are always suited business men, holding the strings, gangers, pimps and dealers their puppets because they are expendable"

"I may be able to point you in the right direction" Lindsay said "The trace that Sid sent up from the vics hands, there's skin with enough epithelial's for a match, if they're in the system"

"Let me know when that comes back" he asked her "Danny, anything on the pill?"

Danny Messer frowned at the screen "Yeah" he said "The chemical composition is bog standard for ecstasy, but I was able to re create the logo. It's a guy, with a beard holding trident, more commonly known as a ..." he clicked a button on the computer and a picture was revealed.

"Titan" Jo supplied.

"I ran it through the police database and it comes back that the drug is associated with one James Bryant. AKA..." he was cut off by Lindsay who placed an identical rap sheet next to his screen.

"Titan" she finished.

"Is anyone gonna let me finish a sentence here?" he complained "How d'you do that?" he asked Lindsay.

"The skin trace came back, it's him" she smirked at him.

"Boom!" Danny said "We got our guy"

"He's got form" Mac agreed "Convicted of dealing with jail time and investigated several times for pimping and stat. Rape"

"I'll call Flack, have him brought in" Jo decided.

…...

"Georgia Fairburn, DA's office" Georgia answered her phone almost absently.

"Hey Georgia" she smiled at the voice, one she'd known a long time "It's Don Flack"

"Hey Don!" she said "What can I do for you?"

It worked both ways, the NYPD and DA's office helping each other out. She'd gotten valuable information that had helped with cases from Don in the past, and his connections with the CSI lab had also given her many a heads up. He usually called her when he needed an awkward warrant. Sometimes her back up on a warrant would encourage a judge to sign it without looking too closely. That could be dangerous, but she only did it for a few select detectives she'd known a long time, and trusted.

"I need a warrant, like yesterday" he said "The guy is so slippery he could wriggle out a mouse hole, he's got a connection to a murder and I need to talk to him pronto"

"I dunno, you never write, you never call..." she laughed "And here you are wanting another favour?"

"I'll owe you" he said.

"You already owe me" she replied.

"I'll buy you dinner?" he offered.

"Oh what will it be this time? McDonalds or Burger King? I got food poisoning the last time you dragged me across town for a hot dog" she laughed. Their working relationship was easy, they had known each other a long time, speaking and meeting up three or four times a year when their paths crossed professionally.

"Those hot dogs are the best this side of the Mississippi!" he protested.

"You have a cast iron stomach" she replied "What's the name?"

"James Bryant" he said.

"Titan!" she almost shouted "I've been wanting this guy for years!"

"Maybe you should come arrest him yourself" Don quipped "Who could resist an offer like that?"

"I see you're not any funnier" she said dryly "What's he done this time?"

"One of his girls wound up dead, with his pill in her hand and DNA all over her, Mac thinks he's fronting for someone though"

"And you want him to roll?" she asked.

"Hopefully" he confirmed "And that's where I need a second favour"

She rolled her eyes "So _if_ I get you this warrant, and _if_ you arrest him, you want me to come down there and offer a deal?"

"In a nutshell" he said "So?"

"Fax me the details, I'll fax it back when it's done" she said "Call me when you have him, I'll come down"

"Thanks" he sounded relieved.

"You owe me" she reminded him.

"Don't I always?"

…...

"James Bryant?" Flack shouted through the closed door "NYPD open up!"

They heard scuffling inside, Mac moved into position on the other side of the door, Flack spoke into his radio.

"Watch the back Danny, I think he's headed out"

Mac gave Don the nod and he kicked the door through, both of them entered the apartment guns raised.

"**NYPD Freeze**!" Mac shouted a figure ran through a door to the back. Mac and Don took off after him.

"Goin' somewhere?" they heard Danny say, rounding the corner they found Bryant half way out of the window, Danny pointing his gun at the guys temple from the fire escape outside.

"Ya know I love this city" Danny panted "But maybe I'd like to work somewhere that doesn't involve running upstairs all the time"

Don laughed "Good job Danno" cuffing Bryant he read him his rights.

"We're gonna go have a little chat about your girl we got on a slab down town" Flack said.

"I dunno what you talking about man" Bryant said.

"Well when we get there, I'll fill ya in, how's that for good police relations huh?" he shoved Bryant out of the door.

…...

Danny slapped a photo of Sienna Hull across the table to Bryant.

"Recognise her?" he asked.

"Nope" Bryant pushed the photo back.

"Really?" Flack pushed the photo back again "Take a closer look, Titan"

Bryant shifted a little in his seat at the mention of his pseudonym but didn't reply.

"You see, we got your DNA on her, and your ecstasy pill in her hand" Danny said "Recognise her now?"

Bryant looked at his lawyer, who nodded.

"I may have hooked up with her" he admitted.

"Where?" Flack probed.

Bryant shrugged "Some club"

"Bad Omen?" Danny supplied.

"Maybe" Bryant shrugged again "Can't remember"

"We also searched your apartment" Flack said "By the way, you need a cleaner because that place is _nasty_"

"Get to the point Detective" the lawyer interjected.

Flack gave him a withering look "We found a stash of these pills, similar to the one found in Sienna Hull's hand"

"And I'm not a betting man" Danny said "But I'd wager that the chemical composition of that pill match the stash in your apartment"

"I'll take that bet" Flack said.

"I dunno what you talkin' bout man!" Bryant insisted.

"OK" Flack scooped up the photo, slowly placing it back inside the folder in front of him "I guess we can grab a coffee until the DA gets here, right?" he looked at Danny.

"Sure, I'm pretty thirsty" Danny agreed.

"OK, I gave her the pill, we hooked up" Bryant admitted.

Danny looked at Flack "Coffee?"

"Absolutely" they left the interrogation room together, looking as Georgia Fairburn stepped out of the adjoining observation room.

"You can charge him with possession with intent for definite" she told them "And I'll go with your evidence on murder 1, it's circumstantial but as we've already got him for jail time, it's worth the risk"

"What can you offer for a deal?" Mac asked, he'd been in the observation room with her.

"I'll offer him manslaughter and drop the drugs charges, with protective custody" she said "That do?"

"Might be enough to get him on board" Mac said "Either way he's going down, he'll be safer this way. They'll get him in gen. Pop"

Flack, Danny and the ADA entered the interrogation room again.

"James, this is the Assistant District Attorney" Danny said "She's got something to say"

"Mr Bryant" Georgia began "The NYPD has enough here for me to try you for possession with intent to supply an illegal substance, and murder in the first degree of Sienna Hull, a guilty plea will go down well with the sentencing judge"

"Hey I didn't murder no one!" Bryant shouted "You got nothin' on me!"

"We have enough" she said "However I can offer you a deal. These detectives think you are protecting someone, someone higher than you in this organisation. If you were to give us information leading to that prosecution, I may be able to see my way to reducing your charges"

"You're talking out your ass lady" Bryant said aggressively.

Flack stood up, knocking his chair over and folding his arms across his chest.

"Let me explain to you how this works" he told Bryant. He pointed to the suspect "You, you're the 'suspect', you might commit a crime and leave evidence behind. Me, I'm the detective, I catch your sorry ass and haul you in here" He then pointed to Danny "Him, he's the CSI, he proves what you did with science" He then pointed to ADA Fairburn "This lady, she's the ADA and she tells me what I can legally get away with pinning on said sorry ass and him" he now points to Bryants lawyer "He's a two bit lawyer with a cheap suit and you honestly think the two of you stand a chance at trial? With all the evidence we have?"

"You see" Danny continued "I have enough circumstantial evidence for a good chance at trial, that right ADA Fairburn?"

"Definitely" she agreed.

"So it's in your interest to sing up Bryant, we don't want you, we want who you are protecting, the ADA has offered you a very good deal, she's a generous lady, I'd take it. Me, I'd just lock you up and throw away the key" Flack said about to continue when the Lawyer interrupted again.

"That's enough Detective" he stood "We're leaving"

Flack pushed the suspect back into his seat.

"Did you miss my briefing a minute ago?" he asked "Because my patience is wearing thin, I can find enough to lock you **both **up for the night"

"Detective Flack, I am lodging a formal complaint about your behaviour..." the Lawyer began "Threats and intimidation for a start"

"You want intimidation..." Flack leaned close to him again, but he was cut off by Georgia.

"Forgive Detective Flack, Mr Wright" she began "His enthusiasm for his job sometimes gets the better of him, I'm sure there's no harm intended"

She glanced in Flack's direction a he snorted in amused defiance "English is his second language" Ignoring his look of confusion "Sarcasm being his first. I'm sure if he thought your client was cooperating fully with his investigation, he'd be more amenable to the deal, you testify and we drop the drugs charges"

"I need time to confer with my client" he told her "Alone"

Flack, Danny and the ADA left the room, Flack shaking his head as they headed towards his desk.

"You think he'll talk?" Danny asked her.

"Either that or he'll get a new Lawyer" she replied.

"Why?" Flack asked as they reached his desk.

"Wright owes me, and he knows it, he'll be advising Bryant to sing to the rooftops" she said.

"I hope you're right" Flack said, leaning on his desk as Danny's phone rang.

"It's Adam" he said by way of explanation, moving away to take the call.

"Sarcasm is his first language?" Flack said quietly, a smile at one end of his mouth.

"Truth hurt Detective Flack?" she countered making eye contact, he moved closer, using his height to put her off balance.

"You got a mean streak ADA Fairburn" he said, his intimidation didn't wash, she closed the remaining gap between them.

"And you love it" she smiled at him "Here's the papers" she slapped a wad of paper onto his chest "For when he fesses up"

He laughed low in his throat "You want me to shred these when he walks?"

"We'll see" she said,leaving the doors swinging behind her as she left.

Danny looked at him, eyebrow cocked.

"What?" Flack dropped into his chair.

"You got sommat you need to tell me?" Danny asked.

"There's lotsa things I could tell you Messer" Flack was fiddling with his computer.

"You and the ADA? Having cosy little chats?" Danny pressed.

"Cosy chat?" his eyebrows raised "That was professional banter"

"My ass" Danny said.

"Detective Flack?" Wright stepped out of the interrogation room "Can we talk?"

Flack stood up pointing in Wright's direction "We got work to do" he said.


	4. Chapter 3 He Giveth

**Real Time**

Chapter 3 – He giveth...

"So Bryant fingered Mendall?" Danny asked Don as they drove "As in Lou Mendall, from the Mayors office?"

"The very same" Don confirmed, pulling the car over and cutting the engine "And a little more digging gave me Sienna Hull's alias"

"Alias?" Danny frowned as they got out the car.

"Louisa Holsten" Flack told him "And strangely enough, Mendall had a secretary by the name of Louisa Holsten"

"Hmmmm" Danny pondered "You think Mendall was dipping his nib in the office ink and things got outta hand?"

"I think she'd served her purpose and was shipped off to Bryant with a brand new identity and a major drug habit" Don replied as they entered the Mayors office.

"So how she wind up dead?" Danny asked.

"Knew too much?" Don wondered.

…...

"It's a tragedy" Lou Mendall schmoozed "But I never saw Louisa again after she left"

"Why she leave?" Don was pacing around the plush office, picking objects up and inspecting them before putting them back.

"I don't know Detective" Mendall said "She handed in her notice, we thanked her for her service and I haven't seen her since. Her work had suffered towards the end of her employment, she was erratic and it was probably the best thing that she move on"

"An affair with a colleague'll do that for ya" Danny observed.

"I don't know what you are insinuating" Mendall remained calm "But my staff do not engage in _personal_ relationships, it's all strictly professional"

"Sure it is" Don folded his arms across his chest "See here's my problem Mr Mendall, this girl winds up dead on my patch and I got a couple a leads, they lead me back to you"

"I don't know what else to tell you Detectives" Mendall held his hands up in mock surrender "I didn't have an affair with Louisa, I only knew her as Louisa and when she left I have no idea what she did"

Don looked as if he hadn't heard him "And here's what I think happened, you have an affair with her, when you realise she's in too deep, you get her hooked on some of your finest imports. She wacks out, you palm her off on some pimp and dealer, she makes an issue outta it, you have her killed so not to draw attention to your little 'operation' and being the good little Detective I am, I assume the pimp has killed her"

"If Louisa took drugs I never knew" Mendall insisted "And as unfortunate as it is, if that led her to prostitution then that is nothing to do with me. We did not have an affair. Now I am a very busy man, and I don't appreciate being accused of these things in my own office"

"I could always take you down town" Don threatened.

"Detective Flack" Mendall looked annoyed "I am seriously considering speaking with your chief over your attitude, I realise you need to make enquiries but quite frankly you are being offensive"

"Uh huh" Don looked bored "We're going, but I'll be back"

…...

"Another one?" Jo looked down at the prone body on the grass.

"Yup" Don said "Another pro, track marks, shot point blank"

"What's going on here Flack?" Jo asked him, her face concerned.

"Could be unrelated" he said "MO is different"

"I bet we match drugs in her system to those in Sienna Hull's though" Jo observed "Hawkes is on his way, though it looks like sexual motive, her underwear is missing, dress ripped"

"A raped pro?" Don frowned "Hang on, I know this girl"

"You do?" Jo asked "You got an ID?"

"I think I questioned her at the Bad Omen club, she was jittery" he told her.

"Aren't they all?" Jo observed "Addicts needing a fix don't like being kept waiting by police"

"I can't remember her name, if what she gave me was her real name anyway" he said "I'm sure AFIS will help us out there"

Jo inspected the victims hands closer "Looks like skin under her nails" she said "Maybe enough for a match"

"What's that?" Don crouched down frowning at a bruise visible on the victims hip, where her dress had been torn away.

Jo looked closer "Looks like an imprint of something" she mused "Probably before death, I dunno? A gun handle?"

"It's more like a side on of a gun?" Don said "Like it was pressed into her, not pointed at her"

"Maybe the perp was wearing a gun? Engaged in her services? The gun left an imprint?" Jo ventured "We'll know more after she's been posted"

…...

Adam Ross sat in the lab, alone, as he always seemed to be.

"We gonna make a night 'o 'dis baby?" he asks the DNA sequencer "Wow, not a talker huh?" he sighs.

He leaned back in his chair, eyeing the sequencer "You better get me a gold star form Mac" he tells it "This is of the most vital importance and as my partner, you owe me. All those times I lovingly cleaned you, rejigged your tubes" he raised his eyebrows at the machine "You owe me a good result here"

"Does he talk back?" Lindsay stood in the doorway giving him an indulgent look.

"Uh Lindsay" Adam said "He's a she, and she's processing the skin, hair and semen found on the Central Park vic" he told her "You've probably offended her now" he stroked the top of the machine "Calling her a him"

"My apologies" Lindsay laughed "I hope 'she' didn't take offence"

Adam sniffed "She's sensitive" he paused as the screen in his hand beeped with the words 'Match Found' "But it would appear you are forgiven, we have DNA, and a match in the system"

"That was quick" Lindsay frowned, tapping the screen.

Adam nearly dropped it "Oh My God" he said, at the same time Lindsay cried "Oh Shit!".

They both stared at the screen, 'Match found' emblazoned across a familiar picture.

They read the caption '99.96% match to Detective Donald Flack Jnr from skin, hair and semen'.

Lindsay snatched the screen from Adam "You never saw this OK?" she told him "The DNA hasn't come back yet, OK Adam"

He looked uncomfortable "Lindsay..." he said.

"I'm going to find Mac" she told him "I mean it Adam, not a word OK. Not until I find Mac"

He nodded reluctantly as he watched her go.


	5. Chapter 4 And he Taketh Away

**Real Time**

Chapter 4 – And he taketh Away.

"Hey, Adam!" Flack stood in the doorway of the lab "Where's everyone hidin'?"

"Er, Oh Erm, Hi Don, ah, Detective, um, Don" Adam mumbled.

"You alright?" Flack gave him an odd look.

"Ah yeah, yup, I'm good" Adam couldn't make eye contact, Flack scared him at the best of times, the guy was so confident.

"You sure?" Don observed him, lab tech's baffled him, high education and high maintenance. With the exception of Messer, and maybe Lindsay they were just weird, knew their stuff, but weird.

"Ah yeah" Adam replied "I think they're up in Mac's office"

"Thanks" Don said dryly "Hey Adam?"

Adam nearly fell off his chair with fear, he knew, he must do!

"Um, yeah?"

"I think that screen's fryin' your brain, take a break?"

…...

"Who else knows about this?" Mac demanded of Lindsay.

"Adam found it" she said "I asked him not to say anything until I'd spoken to you"

"Good" he frowned at the tablet Lindsay had brought to his office "Where's Jo?"

"I don't know" Lindsay admitted "I came straight here"

Mac picked up his office phone, dialling as he spoke "Call her, tell her I need her here, now!" Lindsay jumped at the aggression in his voice "And get Adam up here! And Danny!"

Mac listened to the phone on the other end ringing and ringing before someone answered "NYPD?" the voice said.

"I'm calling Detective Flack, where is he?" Mac asked shortly , he listened impatiently "Tell him I want to see him, _immediately_, Mac Taylor" he'd hung up and was dialling again before there was time for an answer. It was answered on the third ring.

"Hey Mac I'm just..." Don answered his cell phone.

"Where are you?" Don was taken aback by the aggression in Mac's voice.

"Outside your office?" Don replied a little confused "What's up?"

But Mac had hung up.

Don pushed his way into Mac's office "What's with everyone today?" he asked.

"Sit down!" Mac ordered.

"Mac, what the hell's goin' on?" he knew Mac well enough that this was serious, he looked at Lindsay, she just looked back.

"Where were you last night Don?" he asked.

"What? I was home, why?" Don frowned.

"Can you prove that?" Mac fired back.

"I was alone, spoke to Danny around 9.30" he said, cop instinct kicking in "What the hell's goin' on Mac? Why do I need an alibi?"

"I can confirm that" Lindsay said "I answered Danny's phone"

"Ok" Mac thought a moment "I think you better sit down"

Don sat, waiting.

"The trace we found on the vic in the park?" Mac began, how was he supposed to do this? "It came back with a positive match"

"And?"

"It's you"

"What?" Don exploded out the chair "Is this some kinda sick joke?"

"I'm sorry Don, Adam ran the DNA and it came back to you, Lindsay brought it up to me, that's all we know right now" Mac told him, attempting to keep his voice steady.

"_All you know_?" Flack was angry, really angry, and scared "You don't think I did this Mac?"

"I know what the evidence says" Mac said, ignoring Lindsay's look of alarm "And right now the evidence says at best you slept with a prostitute, at worst you killed her"

"Are you seriously fuckin' with me Mac?" Don was up now, and in Mac's face "Slept with a prostitute? Killed her? Why would I turn up at my own crime scene?"

"Don, is there any way your DNA could have been stolen?" Mac asked him.

Lindsay was standing with her mouth slightly open, a thought occurred to her, but she held it a moment.

"How can someone steal DNA?" he asked.

"Hair and skin are quite easily shed in your job, has a suspect scratched you? Even seemingly by mistake?" Mac asked.

"I dunno" Don ran his hand over his hair "I arrest a lot of people, I guess any one of them could have but..."

"The semen" Mac finished "Any way that could have been planted?"

"How do you plant someone else's semen?" Don had calmed a little but remained incredulous "You have me worried here Mac, you think it was planted?"

"I don't think you're a rapist" mac told him "Or a murderer"

"Don" Lindsay ventured "This is a bit, personal, but important. Have you slept with anyone recently, specifically using a condom?"

"Not for months" he said "Why?"

"If the semen was transferred without using a condom, we would find traces of the other partner at the time of transfer" she told him "Using a condom would be an effective way of collecting the semen and transporting it without contaminating it"

"But if you haven't slept with anyone recently" Mac said "We may need to go back further, semen can be stored at colder temperatures for months, years even"

"If we examine the semen again" Lindsay said, glad of something positive to do "We may be able to determine if it has been chilled or frozen"

"What's up people? Why the 911?" Danny and Jo walked into the office together.

"We believe" Mac told them "That Detective Flack has been set up"

"What? How?" Jo was shocked.

"You OK buddy?" Danny asked Don.

"The victim Jo and Don pulled out of Central Park had skin, hair and semen trace" Mac said "Adam just matched the DNA to Don"

"What the hell?" Danny said.

"Planted?" Jo asked.

"That's what we need to find out" He said "Danny, Lindsay, go and examine the semen sample again" He waited until they left.

"Jo, I want you to go with Don down to the lab, take a DNA swab from him and run it against the DNA we found on the vic, then run it against his police file"

"Ok" Jo replied "What are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna speak with Adam" he said "And then I'm gonna find out what is going on here. If we can prove you were set up Don, that's only the first step. We need to know _why,_ to catch not only the person who set you up, but a rapist and a murderer too"

"Don" Mac faced Flack across his desk "We need to do this properly, I need your badge and gun" he held up his hand as Flack protested "I know, but we need to show we did this properly if we are going to prove that you have been set up"

Flack looked at his badge, he had only ever twice thought about turning them in before. The first the day Jess died, the second the day he'd shot the guy responsible for her death. He was starting to feel trapped, like he had after Jess. He handed them over.

He watched Don and Jo leave, waiting expectantly "You can come in now Adam" he called.

Adam slunk into the room, looking like a dog caught chewing it's owners favourite shoe.

"How did you know I was there?" he asked.

"I heard Lindsay tell you to come up here" Mac started "I know you wouldn't disobey a direct order, especially under the circumstances, I also know that Flack scares the hell outta you, and there's no way, knowing it was you that made the connection, you'd be able to face him"

"Oh" was all Adam could say, Mac scared the hell out of him too, as did Danny at times, and Lindsay. Just about everyone actually. But especially Detective Flack, he didn't understand how people _could_ lie to the man, he was terrifying.

"Have you told anyone what you found?" Mac asked.

"No Mac" Adam said "I ran it again, it still came back to Don"

"Was the chain of evidence intact?" Mac asked "Is there _any_ way that Don's DNA could have gotten in there?"

"I checked that too" Adam replied "It's all intact Mac"

"Do you think he did it?" Mac was direct.

"No" Adam replied "But I don't know how..."

"I know" Mac said "But we're gonna find out how that DNA from the girl managed to match one of our own, I don't need to remind you to keep this to yourself do I Adam?"

"No Mac"

"Thank you" Mac dismissed him, grabbing his coat as Adam slunk back out of the office.

…...

Adam sat at the computer desk in the audio visual suite, head in hands. He had a germ of an idea, he just needed to work out how he was going to do this.

"Seeing as I've been screwed over by the sequencer" he told the computer "You're my second choice, you better be good to me"

He started typing 'Cell phone trace – Detective Don Flack' He briefly remembered the last time he'd had to do this, after Angell had died. He'd missed her too, she'd been kind to him. Flack had lost the plot, Adam couldn't blame the guy, he would have too if he'd lost a woman like her, and whatever else Flack was, he'd loved Angell and Adam had respected that. He'd been glad when Flack seemed to get himself back into some sort of order, the man's pain had been almost tangible.

The computer worked, it gave him what he expected, Flack's current location, now, if he could work it back 24 hours, Flack had called Danny, if he could _prove_ where he was when he made that call and that each time Flack's phone updated from the cell phone tower, it was the same tower, he felt he might be able to do his part in clearing his colleague. Even if he was scared of him.

He also needed time to work out how to approach his other idea, it wouldn't be easy, and quite possibly illegal, but it could prove without a shadow of a doubt not only that Flack had been set up, but could probably trace by who, if he was right.


	6. Chapter 5 Now it's war

**Real Time**

Chapter 5 – Now it's war

Mac sat at his desk, staring at the information in front of him. God, he was tired, the words were starting to blur and he wasn't making much sense out of what was there. He felt like the world was falling, he was going to be called into question, seriously, over this. He should have arrested Don immediately, he should be in a cell. But he trusted his team, he trusted Don, he hadn't done it. But what was happening to him? He protected the integrity of this lab above anything, even his team, and here he was compromising that hard earned integrity. He was between the devil and the deep blue sea, his sense of duty verses his loyalty to a man he'd know a long time and trusted, and more importantly, trusted him.

He picked up the desk phone, dialling Jo.

"Get everyone up here" he ordered "We need to piece this together and fast"

…...

"So" Mac surveyed his team, noticing the absentee "Where's Adam?"

"He's working on something" Danny told him "Said it could be important"

"Right" Mac nodded "Here's what we have so far, jump in if I miss something. We had a dead prostitute, in a club, with enough evidence to convict her pimp, Bryant. However further evidence, word on the street, the vics alias and work record, led us to Lou Mendall, from the Mayors office. We think that Mendall is involved in drug and girl trafficking, we try and get Bryant to roll on Mendall, the DA offers him a deal, and as a result, Don and Danny question Mendall"

"And guns" Flack put in.

Mac nodded to him "And weapons. Huge ring, and I doubt it stops with Mendall. We then get a second body, another prostitute, different MO, and Don is framed for her rape and murder"

"With DNA" Jo said "They must have a way to get to the evidence, and they must have known that Don was alone that night, no good if he'd been working, solid alibi"

"So we're dealing with someone that has resources" Lindsay said "Maybe access to the lab or the evidence?"

"Or both" Danny put in "Or the ME's office, where the samples were taken?"

"Right" Mac frowned "But although the DNA we have just taken and run will clear Don, the person who planted it must have enough knowledge to know that's what we'd do, so why bother? A few hours and Don'll be in the clear anyway"

"Hold up the investigation?" Don said "Discredit me, all of us? Throw something in that could affect chances at court? I should be cooling my heals in a cell until that DNA comes back Mac, we all know it"

"Yes, strictly speaking" Mac replied "But you're not" if he couldn't justify it to himself, he certainly couldn't to anyone else.

"But why?" Jo said "Mendall isn't the top rung here, he'll be as expendable as the pimp, so why not just allow him to be collared and start again?"

"Pimps and pro's are easy to get on board" Mac frowned "People working in the Mayors office need a lot of persuasion, it's essential to have people in places like that, but hard to find them. Plus Mendall isn't stupid, he knows we'll want the top, if offered the right deal, he'd tell all"

All heads turned as Adam bowled in through the door "I got it!" he announced, looking up his smile of triumph changed to an expression of discomfort.

"Adam?" Mac said "What?" he didn't have time for Adam's irrational fears right now "What have you found?"

"I can prove uh, Don wasn't, well his phone wasn't in Central park at the time of the murder" Adam told the floor "I also know why his DNA came back as a match to the body"

"Go on Adam" Jo said kindly, she knew this was hard for him and to get the best explanation, making him as comfortable as possible was the way to do it, she shot an impatient look at Mac, he also knew that.

"I traced your phone" Adam told Flack's shoes "Your building has a cell tower on the roof, and luckily you chose the same service provider, your phone registers with a cell tower around every 6 minutes when it's inactive, the data from the tower shows that your phone remained in the reach of the cell tower on your building. Had you, or rather it, been to Central Park, then it would have registered with a different tower"

"But that only proves that Don's phone didn't kill anyone" Mac said impatiently "It won't stand up in court"

"Yes" Adam swallowed "But I spoke to Sid, TOD was around 9pm, when Don uh, called Danny, the tower on top of Don's building relayed that call, and Don called him at 9.24, and spoke for 14 minutes, it proves Don was at home, or at least in the vicinity of that cell tower during the call"

"Good work Adam" Jo praised "That means that Don had to get from Central park to the vicinity of his cell tower, what half a mile? After killing the vic at 9pm?"

"Exactly" Adam agreed "If TOD was 9pm and Don killed her, he'd need to get from Central Park to half a mile from his apartment in 24 minutes, which unless he can fly is unlikely"

"So we've established what we already know?" Don snorted "Against DNA it's nothing, the DA will argue that cell towers aren't accurate, that I'm a cop, I can run fast, drive an emergency vehicle, it's circumstantial at best"

Jo shot Don a look of annoyance "Hear him out" she snapped "He has something else and he's trying to help here"

"I know this isn't strictly protocol" Adam began nervously "But I had an idea"

Don looked at him "Go on" he prompted.

"Adam? Get on with it" Mac was strained, he tended to agree with Don, it wasn't solid proof Don was set up, what was happening to him? As Don had once said 'If I'm the coolest head in the room, you know you blew it'. Don might not be the coolest head right now, but he was cooler than Mac.

"I hacked into the NYPD police file database" he admitted.

Mac closed his eyes, seriously? He thought, what the hell was he thinking?

An electronic bleep shattered the momentary silence "It's from Hawkes" Danny smiled, offering the tablet to Mac "The DNA Jo took from Don doesn't match the trace from the body, or Flack's police personnel file"

"Now we're getting somewhere" Don said.

"I know why too" Adam said, he shuddered inwardly as all eyes were on him "I figured if I could hack in, so could someone else. The DNA wasn't tampered with, Detective Flack's DNA file was"

"How?" Mac shot at him.

"Whoever it was, hacked in and replaced Don's DNA profile held on his personnel file with one from the killer, that's why it all came back to him"

Jo let out a long sigh "So you're in the clear" she said "We just need to know who, and why now"

"I can help with that too" Adam looked sheepish "I can follow the hacker back to their IP address, but I think..."

"For this" mac ground out "We need a warrant, because as good as it is Adam, you have breached protocol and that won't be admissible in court"

"Sorry" Adam mumbled.

"We'll talk about it later" he told him, who was he to complain about breaking protocol? Up until 5 minutes ago he'd had a suspected rapist and murderer in his office, and done nothing about it.

"Don, you're off this, go home, get some sleep, but stay alert. These people may not stop at trying to discredit you" Mac sighed "Danny, get me that warrant"

…...


	7. Chapter 6 Disarray

**Real time**

**A/N – thanks for those who have added me to favourites :) I hope you are enjoying this.**

Chapter 6 – Disarray.

"Well Mr Mendall" Jo said "You've had quite a week haven't you?"

"I heard NYPD has had quite a week Detective Danville" Mendall replied "Two murders, one by a detective?"

"See" Jo said "That's the thing with rumours, they spread like a nasty disease"

"Oh, I think he did it" he leaned in conspiratorially "The guy lost it. Rumour had it that the great detective lost not only his partner, but his mind too. Fond of a Guinness or two, and a pretty girl isn't he, Detective Flack?"

"Why a Guinness?" she frowned.

Mendall shrugged "Like you said, nasty rumours spread, oh we hear it _all_ at the Mayors office" he grinned "Is my attorney here yet?"

"Not yet" Jo confirmed "But hopefully the results will be back before he gets here, and then you can meet _our_ attorney"

"Results?" he questioned.

"Oh" Jo feigned innocence "Didn't I tell you? You see Detective Flack is in the clear. DNA taken from him, yesterday, didn't match the DNA on the body, and funnily enough, it didn't match his police file either, weird huh?"

Mendall shrugged again "So what has that got to do with me?"

"Well" Jo smiled "I have a feeling that the person who tampered with Detective Flack's file, swapping it with the killers DNA profile, never expected us to work that out. You see now we have the _actual_ killers DNA profile, because the police file and the body DNA match, oh and er, your DNA is on file is it not Mr Mendall? With you being at the Mayors office and all?"

Mendall laughed "So what?" he leaned over again "You think that I killed this girl and framed your detective? For what purpose?"

"Discredit him, all of us" she told him "Any trial where the investigating officer was proven to be a rapist and murderer would be laughed out of court, if the DA let it get that far"

"As much as I disliked the attitude of Detective Flack, I wouldn't go as far as to murder someone and frame him"

"But the thing is" Jo continued "You _were_ involved in the murder of Sienna Hull, or Louisa Holsten, and our Detective got a bit close for comfort huh?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about" Mendall said, but he was rattled.

"So, better than kill him, after all you know we'd go all out for a cop killer don't you?" This time Jo leaned forward "You decide to totally discredit him, set him up for rape and murder. You figure that people will think he finally snapped huh? Easy to find stuff out in your position? Detective Flack's father is a legend, so easy enough to ask about his son without raising suspicion?" She held up her hand "I'm not finished. You had heard about Detective Angell and Flack's reaction, the rumours surrounding it all, already was a bit dodgy huh? Dating a colleague, but nothing solid was there, no. So you decide to use the rumours that had gone around, had he already killed a man in cold blood? Could you successfully set him up, and then drip information to the DA about his past? The rumours? Maybe even try and discredit the crime lab and half of NYPD into the bargain?"

"That's a nice story" Mendall said "Detective Danville is it? That's another badge. You people will insist on harassing me, I _will_ be filing a complaint for you, right against Detective Flack's"

"Oh feel free" she smiled "You'll have plenty of time for that in prison"

Mendall laughed "Prison? What for?"

"For arranging two murders" Jo started "For framing one of NYPD's finest, for tampering with a government database, oh yes, and for trafficking drugs"

"Wow" he sat back in his chair "That's quite a list"

"Isn't it just?" she agreed "I don't expect to find your DNA anywhere near either victim, you don't get your hands dirty. But the trace on the computer programme has led us straight back to your office, you have access to police files, and you used it. We can prove that the file was tampered with from your computer"

"Anyone in my office could have access to that computer" he rattled "And really if that's all you got, you got nothing at all"

Both looked as the door opened "Don't say another word Lou" the man cautioned, looking at Jo he introduced himself.

"Michael Gale" he was shorter than her but somehow gave the appearance of looking down his nose at her "I hope you weren't questioning my client without his lawyer present?"

"Of course not" she agreed, instant dislike spreading through her "We were just killing time, waiting for you"

"Well, detective, if you wouldn't mind?" he held the door open for her.

"Of course" she left the room.

…...

Georgia Fairburn glared through the two way mirror.

"Where's Flack?" she asked Mac "I thought he was on this?"

"He can't" Mac said "Too close, these guys tried to frame him"

"Right" she said "I'm sorry Mac, I haven't had time to review the file, I got your message straight out of court and came down here, fill me in?"

He handed her a cup of coffee, indicating she should sit.

"Bryant talked, fingered Mendall as the next rung in this drug trafficking" he took a mouthful of coffee "From what we pieced together, the first victim"

"Sienna Hull?"

"Yes, also known as Louisa Holsten, used to work for Mendall, she was a secretary and a few months later turns up dead, an addict and pro under the 'care' of Bryant. We arrest Bryant and he rolls on Mendall, combined with what we found out about Louisa working in Mendall's office, and a suspected affair, it gave us good cause to question Mendall, which Flack did"

"Uh-huh"

"Flack figured that Louisa and Mendall had an affair, and she found out about the drugs, knew too much and then got clingy. Mendall shipped her off to Bryant with a drug habit, but she kept coming back and so had to be silenced"

"And Bryant confirmed that?"

"Almost word for word, he gave it all up. When Flack spoke to Mendall, he was rattled, and with the rumours in Don's past" Mac sighed "Another murder happened and Don was framed, to get him away and discredit as many of us as possible"

"So I wouldn't touch the Bryant/Hull case with a barge pole?"

"I think so" he confirmed "And with the heat off, they can carry on as normal"

"Only Don was cleared" she said "How Mac? I need to know what you did here, because I don't want him" she pointed to Michael Gale through the mirror "Tearing this case apart in court"

"We took DNA from Don in the lab, it was negative against the DNA from the body, it was also negative against his police file, it was swapped" Mac said carefully.

"The DNA or the file?"

She was sharp he thought "The file, one of techs found that the file had been planted, the killers DNA profile put in place of Don's" he held her eye "He traced it back to Mendall's computer"

"The warrant Danny wanted" she concluded.

"Yes" Mac spoke slowly "And we now have Mendall, with Bryants testimony and that evidence we can link him to both murders"

"And the killers DNA?" she asked "Who's is that?"

"As yet" he admitted "Unknown, it's not Bryant or Mendall, or in the system"

"Being honest here, we got a slam dunk on Bryant, a confession of drug trafficking and his DNA all over the first victim, less for Mendall, we've got no DNA. A testimony from a known felon and a tenuous link to his computer, which Gale will argue, could have been anyone" she paused "And that will be blown sky high, if things weren't done properly. I know you Mac, what are you hiding?"

Mac sighed, the ADA probably wasn't the best person, but this was eating him and she needed to know, if this wasn't to get thrown out of court.

"The tech, initially he didn't have a warrant to access that NYPD database" he sighed "Will that mean that everything that followed is inadmissable?"

"What exactly did he do"? She frowned.

"He pulled Don's file, and then from what I can gather, poked around the NYPD server to find a back-door that may have been used, he found one, and then with the warrant, followed it"

"Not strictly protocol" she pondered "But not strictly bad, I can argue that one. What else Mac? Come on"

Mac sighed "I let my loyalty to Don overcome my integrity"

"How?" she said "I need to know Mac"

"On the evidence, DNA hair, skin and semen, I should have arrested Don there and then" he admitted, wondering if this case would cost _him_ his job, as well as his sanity "But I didn't, I sent him down to the lab, with Jo, to compare DNA taken straight from him to the body DNA and his police file"

"I did take his badge and gun" he added "And his gun wasn't a match to the imprint found on the second victims body"

"Oh" she said "I need to think this one out" she murmured. _Damn it! This could make everything inadmissable, Mac may have discredited them all effectively without any help at all._

…...


	8. Chapter 7 Headliner

**Real Time**

Chapter 7 Headliner

"Hey Mac?" Lindsay ran along the crime lab corridor to catch him "I got a hit for the DNA swapped with Don's"

She looked smug, Mac thought, she thought this was sewn up, little did she know. She showed him a rap sheet "Martin Scholm"

"I think Flack spoke to this guy at the first crime scene" Mac frowned "Ok, let's go and bring him in"

"Shall I call Flack?" she asked. In her time as Danny's wife, the friendship between Danny and Don had leached over to her, she'd watched them become as close as brothers, and she knew that Danny would take great delight in assisting to bring in the guy, as for Don, she knew he'd want to be all over it.

"No" Mac told her "We need to keep him away from this" _I've fucked up enough already_, he thought privately "Take Danny and some uniformed officers and get this scum bag"

…...

Marty Scholm sat twiddling his fingers, Lindsay observed that he looked in need of a hit, sometimes that was the best state to have them in.

"Marty" she began "Who hired you to kill the prostitute in Central Park?"

"I didn' kill n hooker, OK?" Scholm protested.

"Sure you did" she placed DNA files on the table in front of him "You raped her, without a condom, so you'd leave semen, and then shot her. Unfortunately the bullet was too damaged to draw anything from, but your semen was workin' just fine Marty"

"Yeah" Danny added "Combined with the skin and hair we also found, that's a long time behind bars for you"

"I screwed her right" he said "But I didn't kill her"

"You see, my problem with this is that the gun we found, when we tossed your apartment, the imprint is a match to an imprint found on her body. You didn't even need to use the gun to rape her did you? You left it on your belt, where it left an imprint" Lindsay was in his face, she didn't get to interrogate often, and was enjoying this "She fought back, and that's when your skin ended up under her fingernails, and your hair on her body. Did you know that we shed pubic hair too Marty? Some of yours was found on her body"

"Right" Danny took over "Then you shot her. Who set this up Marty?"

"I got no idea what you talkin' bout man, I told that other cop, at the club, these girls are mixed up with the mob, that's why they ended up dead" Scholm was rattled.

"No" Lindsay smiled "You were hired to do away with this one, though I think you screwed up because when you beat her, she fought back, and you were forced to use the gun. Let me guess, you were told to leave DNA all over her, because they would take care of it?"

"Who's they Marty?" Danny asked "Because I can believe that you are capable of rape and murder, that's easy. I don't believe you have the intelligence to even switch on a computer, never mind hack a data base and swap a file"

"Alright!" Scholm said finally.

"Boom!" said Danny under his breath, grinning at Lindsay.

"I never saw the guy, he called and told me what to do and where, I just had to choose a girl, a pro. An' yeah, I was supposed to make it look like she was beaten but she got me, so I had to shoot her. They were gonna kill me man!" Scholm protested "If I didn't do it, would a been me on that slab"

"Good Marty" Lindsay said "But I think you _do_ know who sent you to do their dirty work"

"Until my lawyer gets here all I'm sayin is this" he paused "That cop? The one who was fingered for the rape? He still ain't gonna be testifying"

It was Danny's turn to get in his face "What d'you mean?"

"You cut me a deal?" Scholm said "I tell you and you'll deal?"

"I'll deal you, you bastard!" Danny grabbed his collar "Tell me!"

"Danny!" Lindsay cautioned "Marty, we don't have time to get the DA down here, but if you co-operate and possibly save a police officers life, that will go for you in court, the DA will definitely take it into account, I can assure you of that"

Marty looked at the clock on the wall "I was supposed to go 'dissuade' him from investigating further, right about now" Scholm said "But obviously I'm indisposed, so who knows who they got to do the job?"

Danny was out the door before he'd finished the sentence.

…...

Don Flack lay on his sofa, he was bored and the TV held no interest, even as it played away to itself. He looked at his phone as it lit up 'Robin' coming up on the display. He smiled to himself as he sat up, it was Danny calling. Another one of their 'in jokes'. Danny was stored as Robin in his phone, he was stored as 'Bat boy' in Danny's. Danny wasn't happy being his sidekick, even for a joke, and had changed Batman to Bat Boy, arguing that Don might be 1st Grade while he himself was a 3rd grade, but Danny had the brains, Don the brawn.

He reached over to answer, but never made it that far. The door to his apartment burst open and three figures came in, his gun was in his closet, his back up too. He rolled over the back of the sofa, casting around for something to use as a weapon.

…...

"Flack?" Danny shouted, his gun cocked as he entered the battered door to his friends apartment, the place looked pretty messed up.

"Drop the bat!" he ordered as he took in the scene. Don was being held up between two guys, a third was about to swing the bat, at Don's head "I mean it!"

"Drop your weapons!" Danny breathed relief as he heard Mac, he also heard several footsteps behind him, heels, one set. Lindsay? Jo?

They dropped Don instead, he rolled to the side, looking barely conscious as the men advanced on Danny and the others. One guy reached to his back pocket, he didn't get that far, Mac took him out, with a shot to the chest. That opened the gunfire, Danny ducked into the bathroom, taking cover as he returned fire. Don was nowhere to be seen.

The second guy was rolling on the floor, clutching his abdomen, the third firing wildly from the relative cover of the sofa. Mac, Danny and Lindsay returned fire, each of them aware that at any point they may hit Don, or he may already be hit. No one could see him.

The guy rose to shoot again, getting off one shot before a bone crunching thud echoed through the air. To a man all three breathed again as they saw him, Don lowered the bat and grabbed the guy he'd just whacked by the collar to pin him to the back of the sofa. He needn't have bothered, he was out cold.

…...

Flack rubbed his forehead, feeling the sticky warmth of blood on his fingers.

"Get that seen too" mac ordered "Lindsay, take him to the hospital and _do not_ let him leave until he's been seen, Danny and I will process here, the ambulance is taking the third guy to Victory, go somewhere else"

"Come on" Lindsay tugged at Don's arm.

"I'm OK" he protested "Really, I'll get Hawkes to take a look"

"Hawkes does not have x ray eyes" Mac told him "Unless you want Lindsay to take you to autopsy and get Sid to look you over?"

"No" Don shuddered.

"You scared of autopsy?" Lindsay chuckled as they stepped into the elevator.

"I see dead bodies every day on the street" he replied "But that place, gives me the creeps"

…...


	9. Chapter 8 It ends and it begins

**Real Time**

Chapter 8 - It ends and it begins.

"Mac?" Georgia spoke into her mobile "We need to talk"

"Where are you?" he replied.

"Your office" she told him.

"Give me 20 minutes" he hung up. Well this was it, he thought, if Georgia hadn't found a way around the mistakes, a legal way, then it would all come out in court, and then it was over.

"Danny" he almost cringed at the trust in his subordinates eyes "Finish up here and meet me back at the lab, I got something I need to do"

"Will do boss" Danny saluted.

Mac wondered for how much longer he would hold that title, or if he even deserved it at all.

…...

"Georgia" he greeted her "What do we have?"

"I've reviewed everything that you gave me, including the prelim report on what happened tonight, is Don OK?"

"He'll be fine" Mac smiled "He's go a hard head"

"Good" she nodded "Ok, so here's what I've presented to the DA, and, he thinks it's worth a shot and he's given me the go ahead"

"Go on" he prompted.

"Bryant on murder 2, protective custody, sewn up. Marty Scholm has confessed to murder, I've given him murder 2 as well, protective custody in return for his testimony. Those are slam dunks, we have more than enough evidence. Both have rolled on Mendall"

"So we have him?"

"I'm going for conspiracy to murder, two counts" she told him "And for tampering with Don's file, electronic fraud, 2 counts. One for getting in and two for swapping the file. We have nothing to connect any organisation, any trafficking or drugs. Mendall won't talk, unless he does on the route to trial, we've got nothing"

"Well" mac steepled his fingers "We will have removed a major player at least, it takes time and effort to set up connections like Mendall"

"As for your" she sighed "Procedural errors, I need to speak with this Adam Ross and Jo Danville, I also need to give you a message from the DA"

"Which is?"

"He said and I quote 'We've got your ass Mac'" she said quietly.

"Why do you need Adam and Jo?"

"I need to speak to him about what he did, _exactly_ what he did before the warrant was issued. In itself it's not great, but I can argue it's also not illegal. As for Detective Danville, she took Don to the lab for DNA right? And he was stripped of his gun and badge? Was she armed?"

"Of course, she was on duty" Mac replied.

"Then she was escorting a suspect for further investigations, simple as that" she replied.

"Simple as that" an ironic smile graced his face, they'd bent the rules, seemingly not broken them, but his relief wasn't for himself, it was for his team.

…...

"Can I help you?" the hospital receptionist looked bored.

"Yeah" Don snorted "I'm bleeding everywhere"

She looked up, handing him a wad of swabs "Name"

"Donald Flack" he told her, holding the swabs against the wound on his head "_Detective _Flack, NYPD"

"Oh" the receptionist replied "Right, I'll see if someone's free now"

"Thanks" he said dryly, sitting on an available seat.

"You booked in?" Lindsay asked, sitting beside him.

"Yeah" he nodded to the receptionist "Had to pull the cop card"

She laughed "Our job doesn't have many perks" she said "But that is one of them"

"Yeah" he said "Hey, what is with Mac, you think Linds?" he frowned and then winced as his head smarted.

"I don't know" she sighed "This case really got to him, but we've been through worse. This one seriously has affected him"

"I'm wonderin' if it's because he felt compromised?" Don pondered.

"Possibly" she shrugged "He hated the thought that he might have to arrest you, he knew it would affect your relationship. Maybe he's just tired of dong what's right instead of what he feels is right?"

"Detective Flack?" They both looked up to the nurse calling his name.

"Yeah" Don immediately rearranged his face into one of his famous smiles "That's me"

"Go get 'em tiger" Lindsay muttered with a grin.

Don gave her a quizzical look, no one had called him tiger since he was about twelve, somehow he didn't mind though, coming from Lindsay.

…...

"So" Don peered at her name badge "Nurse York, do you have a first name?"

She smiled at him, he was after all a cop "Do you?" she quipped "_Detective_ Flack?"

"Don" he supplied "Your turn"

"Roxanne" she replied "And Don is short for?" filling in his card.

"Donald, Junior" the smile made another appearance.

"How did this happen?" she asked, peeling away the swabs he still held to his head.

"A suspect didn't wanna be arrested"

"And hit you?" she pressed.

"Yup" he grinned "Still got him"

"With what?" she asked.

"Handcuffs" he grinned again as she gave him a stern look.

"What did he hit you with?"

"Oh right" he said, she had the feeling she was being teased "A baseball bat"

"You've been hit in the head with a baseball bat?" she looked concerned "And you walked in here?"

"Arrested the guy first" he boasted, trying to engage her.

"Right" she said "You should have come by ambulance, you could have a bleed on your brain"

"You think I do?" he whispered slyly, as she inspected the wound.

"I don't know" she admitted "Are you normally this charming to nurses or is that new?"

He laughed "When they're as pretty as you"

She ignored the complement "I'm gonna get a doctor to take a look, you need a head CT"

She flashed a light in his eyes "Do you have any neck pain?"

"Nope" he tried to make eye contact, not easy with a torch shining in your pupils "Hell of a headache though"

She switched off the pen torch "I'm not surprised" she smiled back.

"When you've had your CT, if it's clear, you can have some pain relief while I stitch you up"

"I've had about as much stitching up as I can take this week" he sighed, almost subconsciously.

"Excuse me?" she frowned, was he rambling? Possibly concussion?

"Nothing" he smiled again, he didn't think he'd smiled this many times in the space of a half hour for a while "Just work"

"Uh-huh" she said "The doctor will be along shortly"

…...

The nurse pulled the last stitch tight, he winced.

"There you go" she smiled at him "All done, do you need some painkillers to take home or anything?"

He stayed put as she attached a sterile dressing "A bed bath maybe?" he winked.

"There's nothing wrong with your hands Detective Flack, and comments like that make me think concussion" she said firmly.

"Can't blame a guy for trying" he sat up "Can I buy you a cup a coffee? By way of thanks?"

"All part of the service" she told him "And when I get off in an hour, my date is taking me to dinner"

"Lucky guy" he observed "Well, thank you" he left, a man had to try with a pretty girl, right?

Roxanne moved on, filing his notes and picking up the next card.

"Hey Roxy?" a porter called her "This your patients?" he held up a jacket.

"Yeah" she frowned at the entrance, he'd just left, though she could probably catch him "Thanks, I'll take it"

…...


	10. Epilogue

**Real Time.**

**A/N – Well here we are at the end. I would be interested to hear what anyone thinks? I wanted to explore Mac and his loyalty to his team, as well as his integrity. I also wanted it to be a team effort, with appearances from the rest. I think the ADA fits in around them well, I have plans for her, though not what you may think...Until next time :)**

Epilogue

"Detective Flack" she began "You investigated Mr Mendall, is that correct?"

"Yes, we did" he replied.

"Can you tell us what you uncovered please?"

"That he arranged the murder of an ex secretary and lover, another murder of an innocent woman and framed a detective for that murder"

"As we have already heard, Mr Mendall has been testified against for arranging the murders, by two separate people, is there any physical evidence?"

"Not directly to the murders" he said "But there was to the framing for the second murder"

"And who was framed for that murder?"

"I was" he said.

"How?" she probed. _I can't believe the shark hasn't objected yet_

"My DNA profile, on my police personnel file, was tampered with. The killers DNA was swapped for mine" he replied "So when the crime lab ran the DNA from the second victim, it came back to me"

"But you didn't kill the victim?"

"No"

"What else were you accused of?"

"Raping her"

"Did you?"

"No"

"How long have you been with NYPD Detective Flack?" she asked.

"Objection! Relevance!" Gale shouted.

"It goes to establishing Detective Flack's knowledge of procedure your honour"

"I'll allow it" the judge said "Answer the question Detective"

"Twelve years"

"And as a Detective?"

"Six years"

"You honour..." Gale gave her the shark grin.

"Get to the point Miss Fairburn" the judge ordered.

"Sorry your honour" she gave the grin right back, she knew he intended to rip Flack apart on the stand, and to insinuate that he had been protected by his colleagues, she didn't intend to give him the option.

"Detective Flack, what happened the night you discovered that your DNA had been substituted for a killers?" she asked.

"Detective Taylor found me, he told me what had happened"

"What else?"

"He took my badge and gun, and he placed me into the custody of Detective Danville"

"If you had not been a police officer, would anything have been different?"

"Not with a compliant suspect" he said "Most people run when accused of murder, seemingly nailed by DNA, I didn't"

"So you, a decorated Detective, with one of the highest clean up rates in the 12th, were stripped of your badge and gun, and placed into custody?"

"Yes"

"Thank you Detective Flack, no further questions"

She looked at Gale, for the first time in her career, she felt triumphant, Gale was dumbstruck, he'd hinged the whole defence on discrediting the CSI team for not following procedure, and she'd pipped him, he had nothing.

…...

"Madam foreperson, on the first count of conspiracy to commit murder, how do you find the defendant?" the judge asked.

"Guilty" Georgia felt, rather than heard Gale's indrawn breath.

"And on the second count of conspiracy to commit murder, how do you find the defendant?"

"Guilty" Georgia gave Gale a huge grin.

"And on the counts of Electronic Fraud, count one accessing a government database and count two tampering with government records?"

"Guilty to both charges"

"Thank you madam foreperson, you may step down" The judge looked about the court, no one saw his half smile as he saw Michael Gale's face.

…...

"Hey where you stayin' tonight buddy?" Danny leaned drunkenly on Don, leering towards Georgia.

"Dunno, might take the train over to my sisters, got her out of enough jams, she owes me" he saw the look Danny gave him shaking his head.

"You sure about that?" Danny teased.

"Well seeing as my apartment is still being put back together, yeah"

"Thought you might be improving relations between the DA's office and NYPD?" Danny giggled.

"I've told you, we're just friends" Don rolled his eyes.

"Sure you are" Danny squinted "Now, maybe not in the morning huh?"

"Shut up Messer" Don shoved him gently "You're making an ass outta yourself"

"Isn't he always?" Lindsay put in "Hey cupid?" she shot a look at Danny that said more than words ever could.

"Yes" Danny slurred "Light of my life?"

"Quit rambling crap and get a cab" she turned to Don "You can have our couch, if you don't wanna haul your ass across town?"

"Thanks Linds" he said, relieved. He'd had enough excitement to last him a while, he wasn't sure he could handle any drama's going on in his sisters life right now.

…...


End file.
